Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" hit the airwaves 45 years ago today (Wayback in 1981)

Jul 17, 2026 7:55 PM

Pasquinelthe2nd

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80s

music

nostalgia

retro

unmuted

Gloria Jones also did a great job with the original.

1 week ago | Likes 17 Dislikes 1

I'm old.

1 week ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

It's interesting but if it wasn't for a Levi's commercial, this song really would have just disappeared.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSlO6WhsczY

1 week ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 1

Love the Underground Mix by Impedance

1 week ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Must not be an Aldis.

1 week ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

makes me pleased that peak shopping cart design has maintaned for over 4 decades

1 week ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I prefer Social Distortion's version. Great song though.

1 week ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I just never imagined he’d have black hair. Idk why I thought that. But. Imma listen to his song even harder knowing this now. Why? Don’t ask.

1 week ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Fun Fact: Produced by Mike Thorne who started with UK band Wire's 1st 3 LPs.

1 week ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I was a radio DJ back then and played it many times, occasionally back-to-back with Gloria Jones version from 1964 (on which Glen Campbell played lead guitar, by the way). Jones had an interesting career and is worth looking into if you're a music fan.

1 week ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

2004 "Tainted Love [cover]" by Marilyn Manson
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=SqdR7wbm3xEbm3xE">https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=SqdR7wbm3xE>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lest_We_Forget%3A_The_Best_Of

1 week ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

We need more shopping cart focused videos.

1 week ago | Likes 89 Dislikes 0

that's what I've been saying for 35 years

1 week ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 0

Not quite a shopping cart, but similar: https://youtu.be/DsAVx0u9Cw4
I love a good simple video

1 week ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

The MOTHERFUCKING KLF!

1 week ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Soft Cells "version" of Tainted Love hit the airwaves

1 week ago | Likes 29 Dislikes 1

> "Tainted Love" is a song composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of American group the Four Preps, which was originally recorded by soul musician Gloria Jones in 1964. In 1981, the song attained worldwide fame after being covered and reworked by British synth-pop duo Soft Cell for their album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tainted_Love

And here is the Gloria J
ones version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9obvlVPJBEg

1 week ago | Likes 19 Dislikes 0

Thank you, absolutely love this info!!!

1 week ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I learned this song from Coneheads

1 week ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Marilyn Manson did a pretty solid cover of this song back in the early 2000s. Too bad her turned out to be a piece of shit.

1 week ago | Likes 21 Dislikes 6

What did he do? is he a trumper or something?

1 week ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

God no, nothing that terrible. He just (allegedly) psychologically and sexually abused about a dozen women.

1 week ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

I cannot stand the way you sneeeeeeeze

2 days ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

How are the shopping carts involved? Were they trying to have sex in them? Because I can definitely see how that would ruin a relationship.

1 week ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I don't need to unmute because I can hear this video just fine without sound. I can hear it even when I'm not watching the video. Wait, now I can't stop hearing this song without sound...
Earworm, make it stop!!!

1 week ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Wow. I didn't expect the singer to look so... well gay. And twinky.

1 week ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 0

There’s long been a rumor that Marc Almond is gay, mainly because Almond came out in 1987.

1 week ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Tainted Love is literally the gayest song, an anthem. It's this and Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive. It's gayer than YMCA.

1 week ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 0

This gay agrees!

1 week ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

The shopping carts were expected?

1 week ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

That's like if you were in 1981 listening to music from the 1936?

1 week ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

David Ball (piano) passed away last october. And the song was actualy written in 1964. This version is awesome, but then, I was 14 in 1981 and was sooo impressed

1 week ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Fun dumb fact: Years ago there was an advert on TV that used Tainted Love as the BGM and the ad itself was more focused on the mini-story they were creating with the product sort of secondary but positioned in the background. One of my friends pointed out that this advertising technique is known as a "soft sell" and he thought it was a hilarious parallel to the band's name.

1 week ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Yes, the time when anything and everything was turned to a video. Shopping carts?

1 week ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

My mother made my sister and I (age 11 and 13 in 81) sing this for company and her personal enjoyment.

1 week ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

THE best cover.

1 week ago | Likes 46 Dislikes 0

“Varstle de nar’fowķ¡¡” or something like that, but not that, close though, but not too close.
You know if you know type thang.

1 week ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Gnarfle the Garthop?

1 week ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

1 week ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

I don't care what anyone says, that was a great movie!

1 week ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 0

Its a classic and it holds up

1 week ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0